Boy Next Door
by Rivkele
Summary: Souda Kazuichi's both excited and hopeless when the new family, the Hinata's, move in next door with their son, Hajime. Following the lives of Hinata Hajime and Souda Kazuichi as they grow up beside each other. Domestic AU, separate world from my other hinasouda fics. Multichapter fic.
1. First Meeting

_**author's note:** i'm one of Those authors but i got the idea for this fic from this picture: 37. media . tumblr (dot com / ) tumblr_lyu1291BXH1qlywlko1_500 . jpg (remove spaces and add the dot com, it won't let me post the actual link)  
_

* * *

Souda is 8 years old when the "for sale" sign comes down from the tiny lawn of the house next to his. He peeks from his window, but he can't see anything that would tell him about who's going to be moving in. The house had been empty for ages; no one wanted to move in beside a noisy mechanic shop, even with a house in between them.

The two homes are so close to each other he can practically reach out and touch the other from his bedroom window. He remembers the words he once overheard his parents saying: "There's hardly room to breathe in this neighbourhood!" Souda sucks his breath in, just to make sure he still can; his face goes red from holding it in.

A knock on his door makes him jump and he lets out his breath in a whoosh of air.

"Kazuichi, are you doing your homework?" his mother says through the door.

He nods, before realising she can't see him, and calls out, "Yeeees!"

"That's my boy. Oh, I heard a family is moving in next door next week; they have a little boy, too. It would be nice to make a friend, wouldn't it?"

Souda agrees with her, but inside, he doesn't have much hope. Instead, he just wishes that the new kid won't make fun of him like all the others.

"Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes, okay? Try to get your math questions done," she says, and Souda can hear her walk away.

He peeks out the window one more time, pulls papers out of his backpack, and sighs.

_Wonder what he'll be like.._

Question 1 stares back at him, offering no answer.

* * *

Sitting on their front steps, eating an ice cream cone, Souda casually watches the parade of boxes and furniture going into the house next door. He's seen the couple a bunch of times – two ordinary people, nothing interesting about them – but he hasn't spotted their son yet. He doesn't want to be caught staring.

He's about to give up and go back inside when his mum walks over from the neighbouring lawn.

"Oh, there you are! I was just over at the Hinata's – you should go say hi too," she says, ruffling his hair. "I think Haji-chan's out now."

_Haji-chan?_ Souda wonders if the new neighbours have a dog. Being lightly pushed by his mother, he wanders into their yard. He looks around, but instead of a dog, he sees a young boy standing beside a somewhat short woman. Souda can't help but feel triumphant; small and weak-looking, the new kid doesn't seem like someone who could bully him.

"Would you like some coffee?" Souda hears his mum ask the couple. The adults go over to his house, leaving him and their son alone outside.

"So.. _you're_ Haji-chan?" Souda asks, breaking the silence.

His words make the boy look at him for the first time, and Souda is surprised by the frustration in his face. He reconsiders his bully theory.

"That's just a dumb nickname my mom calls me," he says. "I'm Hajime Hinata.. but everyone just calls me Hinata."

"Oh.." Souda says. He's a little concerned that he upset Hinata, but continues on. "Oh, right! I'm Kazuichi Souda! You can call me by my first name if ya want."

"So... Souda," Hinata says. "How long have you lived here?"

Souda droops when he hears his last name.

"Since always. The shop used'ta be my grampa's, and then my dad took it over. It'll prob'ly be my shop someday."

Hinata nods and says, "That's pretty cool." Even though it's not much praise, Souda is overjoyed, and hope flares in him that he might actually make a friend. He can feel the back of his neck heating up, tears in his eyes; it's practically the first time he's talked with someone who hasn't been bullying him.

"Do.. d'ya wanna watch my dad take a bike apart?" He asks excitedly, not able to keep from stammering.

Hinata looks at the boy next to him, a few inches taller than him but trembling slightly, dark eyes nervous behind black frames. He doesn't quite know what to think of his new neighbour, but he appreciates how quickly Souda is to warm up.

"Okay," he says simply.

Souda busts out a huge grin, clearly showing that he thought Hinata would decline.

"Sometimes my dad lets me join 'im, I'm really good with a wrench, see? So, so maybe this time you can help too!" Souda says.

"..I think I'll just watch, but thanks," Hinata says.

The two walk off, passing Souda's house; he runs up to the door to yell where they're going, and saunters awkwardly back, still grinning.

"Oh, my mum said ta tell ya that your mum said, 'Make sure Haji-chan is home for dinner'," Souda rambles as they walk toward the shop.

Hinata punches him in the arm.

"I said not to call me that!"

But they're both laughing, and Souda hopes he can start to call Hinata his friend soon.


	2. Summer Daze

_**a few cultural notes:**_  
_\- sometimes when Japanese people are close to a woman (in this case) who isn't related to them, they call her 'Obaa-san', which is a sort of equivalent to 'Auntie/Granny' (which one depends on her age). it's a playful but respectful way to show closeness_  
_\- 'umaibo' is a traditional/older puffed corn snack, sort of like a giant cheeto. they're pretty good_  
_\- Milky candy, also known as Peko Milky, is a very popular classic sweet_

* * *

It's almost the end of the school year, and the 4th Grade classroom is sweating through the final minutes of class. Souda can't help but glance up constantly, staring wistfully out the window across the room and then swivelling his head to check the time, just like every other kid in there. He's itching to get outside; he and Hinata had agreed that morning to go on an adventure after school. Unable to resist the allure of summer, they had planned to go bug hunting and swimming and hiking, talking about it the whole walk to school and only stopping to say goodbye outside of their classrooms. Souda had spent all day lost in thought, waiting for the final bell to ring.

Gathering up his books as quickly as he can, he hurries into the hallway, keeping an eye out for his friend. Still daydreaming, Souda doesn't notice the foot stuck out in front of him until he slams into the floor. His glasses fly off his face.

"Weirdo-kun, what are you doing on the floor?" A sneering voice calls from above.

"It's dirty, just like the shop his dad runs. I bet he feels at home!" A second voice jeers. Laughter fills the hallway, ringing in his ears and beating down on him; he finds himself blinded again by his tears this time.

His lip is stinging and he's sure he's bleeding somewhere, but he can't move in the crowded hallway without being stepped on – which his tormentors are doing purposely. A heavy foot rolls over his fingers as he feels around for his glasses and he cries out.

"What is this?" Souda's breath catches when he hears a familiar voice cut through the rabble. No one answers its question.

"Whatever, I can guess," the voice says, and the next thing Souda hears is a solid smack as a blur flies by. There's a mix of shouts and whimpering followed by multiple pairs of feet running away. The noise in the hallway settles down until Souda can only hear his own shaky breath.

The blur kneels down in front of him.

"Your glasses got kinda banged up, but they'll still work, right?" Hands roughly put frames back onto his face and, though the glass is cracked and the arms bent, Souda can see again. He smiles weakly at the blur, who he can now tell for sure is Hinata.

They don't say anything as they gather up the scattered papers and pencils, but Souda knows that their adventure is cancelled for the day. He sniffles, wiping his nose on the back of the hand, and finds blood. Hinata wordlessly hands over a tissue and Souda shoves it up his nostril. Holding his glasses to his face with one hand and his pencil case with the other – Hinata taking the burden of his books – they quietly leave the school.

Souda doesn't know what to say. He wants to thank Hinata for rescuing him, but he's embarrassed that Hinata saw; in the two years since he had moved there, Souda had been able to hide the fact that he gets beat up on a weekly basis, not to mention the constant verbal attacks. His legs start shaking while they walk slowly back to their homes and tears well up in his eyes again.

_What if he won't wanna be friends with me after this?_ Souda thinks.

A hand thumps on his back, startling him.

"Wanna get ice cream? I got some money left from my allowance," Hinata says. "Maybe it'll be good for your lip."

Souda reaches up to feel his lip and remembers that it hurt when he fell; it is puffy and tender, and the thought of eating something cold is the best thing he can think of. He nods, and they go into the sweet shop near their homes.

A bell tinkles their entrance and the old lady behind the counter beams.

"Kazu! Haji-chan! It's been a while since you were here last. A whole two days, wasn't it?"

"Hi, Auntie," they say back.

They smile politely at her, but start elbowing each other and snickering at the nicknames when she turns around. Souda's known her all his life, and had gone to the traditional sweet shop almost every day since he was old enough to walk; when Hinata had moved in, he automatically introduced him. It's not unusual for them to spend afternoons hanging out at the shop, telling her about school and the machine shop. They almost always leave with free candy for their walk home, Auntie sending them off with a smile and refrain of "It's always so nice of you boys to come by."

Today, though, her smile hardens around the corners when she spots the bruising marks on Souda's face and the blood-soaked tissue.

"Kazu, dear, what happened?" Her voice is full of concern, and she bustles around behind the counter, rummaging in the drawers. She hands over a few small bandages to Hinata.

"...Fell," Souda mumbles. He winces a little when Hinata puts a bandage over a cut on his cheek. He can feel her gaze lingering on him and he ducks his head, hoping she'll stop asking questions. It's not the first time he's shown up with scrapes, and they both know why.

He breathes a sigh of relief when she doesn't say anything more on the subject. Instead, she turns the radio on, says, "Help yourselves, okay?", and disappears into the back. The two look at each other and shrug, and Hinata grabs popsicles out of the freezer for them. They sit on the floor listening to the music; it's an oldies station, playing a song that neither of them know, but Souda bobs his head along to the beat anyway. The chill of the popsicle soothes his lip, and a weight lifts off his shoulders when he sees Hinata smiling at him.

It's not much of an adventure, but it's a good day in Souda's books.

They leave the shop an hour later, with Auntie insisting they take umaibo and Milky candies with them, giving a long, concerned look to Souda. He smiles lightly and waves.

It's a little darker out, the sky a fiery red, and the cicadas' shrill sounds surround them. Hinata hums what sounds like the song they were listening to earlier. It calms Souda to hear his friend's voice, and he finally says what he's been wanting to say for hours.

"Thanks, y'know," he says. "For, well, everything."

"It's what friends do," Hinata says, pulling open his bag of Milky candy. He offers it to Souda, who's staring at him. "What?"

Souda blinks and goes red.

"Nothin', don't worry 'bout it," he says, and reaches into the bag. The candy melts slowly in his mouth, caramel and sweet, and he sucks on it for the rest of the way home.

* * *

He manages to talk his parents into getting him contacts instead of fixing his busted glasses for the billionth time. After hmm-ing and haw-ing and discussing costs, his mother turns to him and asks, "What colour do you want? Regular clear ones?"

"Pink," Souda says firmly.

More hmm-ing and haw-ing.

He shows up to school a few days later, blinking his now-pink eyes in the morning sun. There's a spare pair of glasses tucked into his bag, but he likes the feeling of nothing sitting on his face; nothing that can be knocked off. He flashes a grin when he sees Hinata. His lip isn't swollen anymore, but the cut is still visible.

Brown eyes scan his face, and Souda nearly vibrates with excitement.

"Cool," is all Hinata says. It's enough for Souda, who laughs happily. "Kind of a waste though, isn't it? Since it's the last day of school, and all."

"Ah well, at least I don't gotta wear those dorky frames anymore," Souda replies. They turn into the hallway and wave goodbye, going into different rooms.

"How about that adventure?" Souda calls out at the last second, and Hinata grins in response. They both watch the clock for the rest of the day.

* * *

Souda stares at his breakfast. He tries to eat, but his dad's yelling doesn't leave him with much of an appetite.

"Up all night yappin' out your windows! Don't you two hang out enough during the day? Ya probably kept half the neighbourhood up with your conversations, you should be in bed anyway at that hour. What on earth could be so important that you have to yell about it at three in the morning?"

"We weren't bein' that loud!" Souda says back. "'Sides, it's summer vacation! It's not like I got anywhere I need t'be in the morning, what does it matter if I stay up talking?"

"It _matters_ because you live under our roof, so you follow our rules! And I say ten year olds –"

"I'm eleven now –"

"Fine, _eleven_ year olds should be asleep by midnight. And if ya ain't got anything to do, why don'tcha help out at the shop more then?"

Souda rolls his eyes and goes back to fiddling with his toast; clearly, his argument fell on deaf ears. Not waiting for a reply, his dad stomps out of the room. His mother speaks up.

"You know, sweetie, he means well. He just doesn't want you to waste your vacation sleeping all day because you were up all night, that's all. Maybe you and Haji-chan –"

"He doesn't like being called that," Souda interrupts.

She throws her hands up in the air, sighing, and follows her husband. Souda takes a bite of his now-cold toast and puts it back down. His stomach grumbles, but he ignores it; instead, he slips out the back door and walks over to Hinata's. He knocks on the door, rocking back and forth.

Hinata answers, a cup of orange juice in his hand. He doesn't say anything, just steps back to let Souda in, and closes the door after him.

"Who's there?" a voice calls out, footsteps coming to greet them. Hinata's mother appears around the corner. "Oh! Kazuichi, it's early for you. Have you eaten yet?"

"Nah, I haven't actually," he says, the tension leaving his body in the welcoming atmosphere.

"Well, if you're hungry, Hiro's in the kitchen making eggs and sausages for everyone. Come in, come in."

She beckons him with her hands. The trio walks back in to the kitchen, Hinata sitting down at the table first, patting the seat beside him. His dad turns around from the stove when he hears the chairs scraping on the floor.

"Ah! You again. I wondered why Saori and Hajime were taking so long," he says warmly. "Eat up!"

He tips two fried eggs and a pile of breakfast sausages onto Souda's plate. Souda's stomach rumbles appreciatively. He digs in, realising how hungry he had been.

"If you want more, just let me know," Hiro says. Souda gives a muffled thanks, mouth full of food. Beside him, Hinata chuckles and picks at his toast and juice. The kitchen is full of the noise of the crackling frying pan, eating, and idle morning chatter; in the midst of it, Souda feels at complete ease.

"By the way, boys, a little birdie told me that you two were up pretty late last night," Hinata's mum says. Souda stops chewing, his mind racing back to his own kitchen table earlier. His ears heat up and go red, and he loses his appetite again, bracing himself for raised voices.

"Don't be too hard on them, Saori," Hinata's dad chimes in. "They're just boys." He fills her plate up again.

"I just think there's a better way for them to talk when they need to," she says. She gets up from the table, grabbing a sausage on her way out. Hinata and Souda exchange glances. Neither can tell where this is going.

A few minutes later, she comes back carrying a box, which she plops onto the table.

"Tada!"

Proud of herself, she smiles at the boys. They smile back uncertainly. She's about to open the lid when the doorbell rings. Going off to open the door, she calls out a few seconds later, "Kazu, it's for you!"

He gets up from the table, leaving half of his breakfast behind, sharing a confused look with Hinata. The minute he gets into the hall, a voice starts up.

"There you are! Your mum and I had no idea where ya went, ya just left the house without sayin' anything! C'mon, I need your help in the shop today, we just got a couple bikers in with motor problems. I'll show ya how t'use the hydraulic jack today."

Souda stands there, wanting with every fibre of his being to run back into the kitchen, to that warm and happy place, but he doesn't want to disappoint the man in front of him. He just nods slightly, says thank you to Hinata's mother, and goes right out the door. His dad claps him on the back with a rumbled, "Atta boy."

The motorcycles keep him occupied all day. True to his word, his dad teaches him the proper way to use the hydraulic jack, and Souda has fun tinkering with it when it's not in use. He forgets about the morning and what was in the mystery box of Saori's. Covered in oil and aching, he claps when his dad declares the bikes fixed. He has dinner with his parents, and, exhausted, drags himself into the bath to clean up before going to bed early.

Souda's buttoning up his pajama top when he hears a tapping noise coming from somewhere in his room. He searches high and low, unable to find a source, when he notices it's louder by the window.

Opening the window to look outside, a paper cup flies in and almost hits him in the face. He picks it up, baffled, and sees a string attached to it leading outside. Catching on quickly, he grins.

Hinata is standing at his open window, an identical paper cup in his hand, an identical smile on his face. He holds the cup up to his mouth, and Souda listens.

"While you were working, so was I," his voice comes through, echoing and slightly muffled, but Souda can hear what he's saying without loud speaking. "That box was full of craft stuff. She's so weird, she just expected me to know what to make."

Souda laughs. They chat back and forth, Souda ignoring the drooping of his eyelids, trying not to yawn into his cup. In the early hours of the morning, unable to fight it any longer, he falls asleep against the wall, cup still in hand.

"Hello? Soudaaa. You there?" Hinata says quietly. When no one answers, he snorts and climbs into bed, leaving the cup dangling from his window.

There'll always be tomorrow night.

* * *

_**author's note:** so just to clarify, i decided on names for hinata's parents, since they'll probably be a pretty big part of the story. hinata's mum's name is Saori, which has a few meanings depending on the kanji, but usually means 'beautiful fabric' and something to do with flowers. hinata's dad's name is Hiro using the kanji 寛, which means 'generous, tolerant'. {note: i am not japanese, don't take my word as law, this is just what i researched}_


	3. My, What Big Teeth You Have (ch 2,5)

**author's note:** _filler chapter aka the author forgot an important thing and had to choose between editing the previous chapters or writing a small one to cover it, Ha Ha Ha,,,_

_in terms of the timeline, this one takes place shortly after the events of chapter 1_

* * *

Souda smiles tentatively. He's not used to it; in the past few years, he hadn't had much reason to smile. Besides, why smile when that's what the bullies are teasing him for?

But he can't help it when he's around his new friend, shy grins stretching the skin of his face for the first time he can remember in a long while. When Hinata had first moved in a couple months ago, Souda was excited, but nervous, and had no idea how to go about making friends. Hinata noticed the boy was always shaking, always on the verge of tears; he spoke in such a quiet voice that Hinata couldn't stop himself from picturing Souda as a silent background character.

Now, though, Souda's more comfortable, and laughs openly at a joke Hinata said, showing off his pointier-than-normal teeth.

"Hey, what's wrong with your teeth?" Hinata asks curiously.

Souda immediately stops laughing and covers his mouth. The words of his bullies echo in his head, and he turns away from Hinata, trying not to cry. He had expected this to happen at some point – for Hinata to comment on his teeth – but he didn't know when, or how Hinata would handle it.

"They make you look really tough, you know? They're not like mine," Hinata continues, poking around in his own mouth. His next words come out garbled. "Ah w's juss w'nderin'."

Souda turns around slowly. Hinata still has his finger in his mouth, wiggling a loose tooth. There's no malice in his voice; Souda breathes out shakily when he realises he's not being made fun of. He thinks about how to answer.

"Well... they just grew in like this," he says finally. "My mum wants me t'get some dental thingy done to 'em to make 'em look normal, but my dad said it costs too much."

"Hm," Hinata makes a neutral noise. "My parents want me to get braces when I'm older." He points vaguely at a gap in his teeth and goes back to playing with his loose tooth.

"I hate the dentist," Souda mutters. "Always pokin' around in there, sayin' things I don't understand. My parents keep hopin' my big teeth'll grow in normal."

Hinata pulls his finger out of his mouth. "I think you'll still look cool, even if your big teeth look the same. It's unique."

Souda stares at him, not quite believing that he's being complimented on his teeth instead of made fun of for them for once. Slowly, he smiles – a full smile, showing off all of his teeth. Hinata grins back.

Then looks utterly shocked. He fishes around in his mouth for a second.

"My tooth fell out!"


	4. Break

_**author's note:**__ warning for mothers, parents fighting, hand injuries, mention of alcoholism, divorce, and self-piercing_

* * *

Souda's in his room, reading the manual on engine overhaul that he got for his recently-celebrated 13th birthday, when he hears glass break downstairs. Shouts echo up, seeping through the small gap under his door like poison. He skids out of his room and into the hall, making his way to the kitchen; he pauses before he enters the room, trying to figure out what's happening.

Before he can make out any clear words, however, his dad brushes past him and leaves, slamming the door. Silence crashes on his ears.

This is the third fight this week.

Souda debates on whether or not to enter the kitchen, where he knows his mother will be sitting at the table crying or staring blankly at her hands, a smashed cup or plate on the floor. He never knows what to say, but he hates the thought that lingers in his head if he turns away.

_I can't abandon her like my old man does._

He steps gingerly into the room, making enough noise to let her know he's there, but not enough to intrude. When he gets closer, Souda can tell that today is a staring-at-hands day. He reaches out slowly and rubs his mum's back, trying to comfort her; the material of her shirt slips under his fingers. A shaky sigh passes her lips.

"It's okay, Kazuichi. He's just gone to the shop to cool off... probably. I started it anyway," she says, not looking up, not offering more information.

He stays quiet, thoughts racing in his head; was the fight about him? Had he done something wrong? Souda couldn't remember much of the past week, except for failing a quiz in science. He hopes that's not the cause of his parents' turmoil.

The two stay like that, the clock ticking minutes away into the silence. Souda isn't sure if he should leave or not, but the atmosphere is pressing on him, and his fingers twitch. He looks around the room at everything that isn't his mother's hunched over figure and spots the glass on the floor. Crouching down, he picks up a couple of pieces, piling them into his hand.

He hisses sharply in pain. An edge had caught the soft part of his palm.

"Oh, no, what happened?" his mum asks, hurrying over. "You're bleeding, Kazu! You should've been more careful."

She moves quickly out of the room, coming back a minute later with an antibacterial cream and bandages, fussing over him. The blood-covered shards fall back to the floor. Souda stares at his hand, not surprised at the injury, but feeling utterly overwhelmed by all the emotions welling up in him; the gentle movements of his mother only make him feel worse. He hates that he can't do anything right. He hates that he can't help. He wants to yell, to beat himself up, to make himself useful somehow, but all he can do is stare at the glass on the floor and his bandaged hand. The image blurs before him and his eyes burn for half a second before tears pour down his cheeks.

He lets out a strangled sob. The sound makes his mum turn around from where she was picking up where he left off with the glass, and she drops it all when she sees her son's pained face. She throws her arms around him, pulling his face into her shoulder, petting his hair soothingly.

"It's okay, sweetie, it's okay, it's just a cut," she says, voice worried. "You'll be fine, don't cry. You're a big boy now, right? You can handle this, it was just a little cut. You're okay."

Souda shakes his head, burrowing further into her shoulder. Her shirt is wet with his tears and his breath comes back hot and stuffy, unable to go anywhere in the small space between his mouth and her collarbone, but he stays, crying on her for as long as she lets him. She mutters "shh, shhh" every time he sobs.

Slowly, he calms down, breath catching in his throat with a few last half-formed whimpers. His eyes and throat are raw; he hopes his contacts are still fine. He doesn't exactly feel better about himself, but his mind feels clearer, heart a little lighter.

His mother says "shhh" one more time and pulls away. Souda notices her eyes are watery too, and hopes it's not because of him. Wiping his nose on his sleeve, he manages a tiny smile, trying to show her he's okay. She smiles back.

Watching her get out the dustpan and broom, Souda decides not to tell her the real reason he was crying; he doesn't want to stress her out more. He holds the pan while she sweeps the glass into it. She sighs.

"That was my favourite cup," she mutters, tossing the glass into the garbage. Souda realises this is his chance to find out what the fight was about. He rocks back and forth, deciding how to bring it up; he doesn't want to upset her just to satisfy his curiousity. In a small voice, he speaks up.

"Um.. what did Dad do, anyway?" he asks. Watching her expression, he mentally curses himself when her lips tighten into a thin line and her eyes narrow; after a minute, she sags, looking defeated.

"I told him I was fed up with how much he was drinking, and that he spends too much time in that garage of his, instead of being part of his family. But apparently I'm not allowed to expect things of him," she says. She scowls at the trash bin where the shards lay, then sighs. "Things just haven't been great lately, Kazu. I'm sorry you had to hear all that earlier."

"Are.. are you two gonna split up?" Souda asks. It had flashed through his mind when the fights first started up, but he had pushed the question down, refusing to think about it. But now, faced with the possibility for real... he swallows, hard.

She pauses, walks over to him, and ruffles his dark hair.

"We'll see," she says sadly.

A month later, Souda watches her drive away in a borrowed truck for the last time.

* * *

He skips school that day. Souda hadn't seen his dad since the morning, when he had stood on the tiny porch seeing her off, and assumes he's gone off to the shop for the day. Souda considers swinging by the school, but he doesn't want to get caught by a teacher; he just wants to see Hinata, but knows he shouldn't risk it. He sits back down on his bed and realises how exhausted he is. Deciding to spend the day in his room, Souda crawls back under the covers, trying not to think about how empty the house and his heart are.

Souda wakes up hours later, unsure of what time it is. It's hazy outside his window; most of the sky is blocked by the neighbouring house, but enough light is filtering in that he can tell it's not as late as it feels. Rubbing his eyes – _Shit_, he thinks, _Fell asleep with my contacts in_ – all of the memories and feelings come rushing back.

The overwhelming wave hits him all at once; he hunches over, the weight of his emotions almost tangibly holding him down. With all of his strength Souda bites back the urge to scream, and bites his tongue instead. His sharp teeth draw blood and he gasps in pain. It's enough to snap him momentarily out of the meltdown.

Breathing deeply, he unclenches his hands and sits ups. Souda looks around his room, trying to find something with which to occupy himself; unfortunately, everything reminds him of his mum, from the manual left open on the floor to the video game she bought him months ago that he hadn't finished yet. Even his own hand, with the fading scar on the palm, takes him back to that conversation in the kitchen.

"We'll see," echoes in his head and he stomps in frustration, tears springing to his eyes. Out of anger Souda shoves everything off of his desk. Amidst the mess, a glint of silver catches his eye; it turns out to be a safety pin. Picking it up, Souda stares at it, then stares at himself in the mirror on his wall. Boring black hair, an ordinary face, the only thing that stood out about him were his pink eyes. _An' even those aren't natural_, he thinks sullenly.

"I'm nothin' but a background character..." Souda says out loud.

He stares at the safety pin again, forming an idea. Steeling himself, he raises the pin to his ear, determined to no longer be the mundane, overlooked Souda Kazuichi he had been all his life.

_And_, he thinks, _Without Mum here no one'll even notice this. No one t'yell at me for anythin'. I can do whatever I want._

With those thoughts in his head, he lines the pin up to his earlobe, takes a deep breath, and –

The pain is instant, shooting through his ear. Letting go of the pin and leaving it stuck in his ear, Souda drops to his knees, tears in his eyes. His ear throbs, and he reaches up to feel it gingerly. There's a spot of blood on the pad of his finger. A tear rolls down his cheek as he curls up on the floor, unable to move the pin, not wanting to do his other ear. He cries quietly, without the cacophony of feelings that were in him before, barely restrained; now all he can feel is the slow burn of his punctured earlobe, salty tears washing over it.

It grows dark in his room. Shadows creep over his body; he hadn't turned the light on all day. He's lost track of how long he's been lying on the floor, except that his body is cold and stiff and his stomach won't stop rumbling. He wants to drag himself into his bed, but he can't find the motivation to get up.

Suddenly, light floods his room, coming in through the window. There's only one reason for it.

_Hinata_.

Souda wonders if Hinata had noticed his absence at school, and if he had even cared. From the shadows in his room, he can tell it's pretty late for Hinata to just be getting back now; Souda figures Hinata's given up on him as a friend.

Something comes flying in through his open window and taps on the floor. Shifting his head, he can see it's the cup on a string Hinata had made a couple years ago. He wipes his face with both of his hands, sits up slowly, and crawls over to the cup. He holds it up to his ear.

"Hey, man," comes Hinata's voice, and Souda feels the tiniest bit of relief. There's no anger or sign of boredom or obligation in his friend's voice.

"Hey," Souda croaks back. He suddenly realises how thirsty he is, as well as hungry.

"You doing okay? You weren't at school today, I was kind of worried," Hinata says.

_You have no idea_, Souda thinks, but doesn't say. Instead, he just says, "Yeah, sorry."

"Y'know, you don't really sound okay."

"'M fine," Souda says. Even though Hinata's his best – and only – friend, he's not sure if he really wants to talk about what's going on.

There's silence on both ends for a few minutes. Souda's convinced that Hinata's bored with him and his terrible attitude, and he can't really blame the guy. _I'd give up on me, too._

"...Move away from the window," Souda hears, and before he can say anything back, a pair of socked feet, followed by two legs, come in through his window. He scrambles back, watching as his friend maneuvers himself into the room. Hinata falls less than gracefully onto the floor. Righting himself, he brushes his pants off and grins.

"Hey," Hinata says simply, as if he didn't just climb between two houses and in through a window.

Souda stares, taken aback, at the boy sitting in front of him. His mind is still racing, between his anger and sadness at his mother leaving, the pain from his ear, the apathy that took him over for hours, and now the strange relief and warmth at seeing his friend. He doesn't know what expression to make, so he settles for what he hopes is a neutral.

Hinata doesn't ask questions about where Souda was all day, or why he stayed home; he doesn't say anything at all, just sits on the floor in front of the window like he was born to be there, occasionally smiling at Souda.

Affection floods Souda's body and he starts to shake. He can't explain why it means so much to him that Hinata's here, even though neither of them are talking. Grateful for the unconditional acceptance, and what he assumes is support, tears fill his eyes again. Souda's lost count of how many times he's cried lately, but this time he doesn't feel so horribly alone.

He makes his way over to Hinata and sits beside him, resting his head on his friend's shoulder. Hinata puts his arm around him.

"Sorry I was so late getting to you," he says. "I checked around town first, 'cause I didn't know where you'd be."

Souda just nods and sniffles.

"Why'd you do that to your ear?"

"...Felt like a change," Souda says. Hinata showing up had made him forget about the pain in his ear, but he reaches up, closing the pin. He doesn't want to let it go to waste.

"You know, you should get the other side done too, so they match. I'll go with you, if you want," Hinata says.

Souda nods again. A professional piercer is probably a good idea.

He breathes deeply, feeling more calm than he has in a long time. It's comfortable, sitting on the floor against the wall with Hinata, watching the room get darker and darker, save for the light still coming in from Hinata's room. Souda stopped crying a while ago, but Hinata's arm remains wrapped around him. He yawns.

"Do you want to go to bed?" Hinata asks.

"Yeah.. But, um, would ya mind if..."

"Do you want me to stay?"

Once more, Souda nods. Hinata nods back, stands up, and stretches. He offers his hand to Souda and pulls him up. They both climb into Souda's small bed, trying to figure out how to fit two lanky growing-boy bodies in it. Laying back to back, sharing a pillow and their warmth, Souda realises it's his first-ever sleepover.

"Are your parents gonna care that you're here?" Souda asks into the darkness.

"Nah, I'll just sneak back in the morning before my mom comes in to wake me up," Hinata says. "They won't know I was gone."

"Ah, alright."

"Do you want to come over for breakfast tomorrow?"

Souda thinks about how empty his own table is going to be from now on without his mum there. His dad never talked much at breakfast; he was almost always walking out the door as Souda was getting up. He usually just ate with his mum. Breathing in deeply, trying to get rid of those thoughts, he turns his mind instead toward how lively and bright his friend's kitchen always is, and how he's allowed to be part of it. Souda smiles.

"Yeah, sure," he says, and yawns. "Good night, dude."

"Good night," comes from Hinata's side.

Souda lays awake for a little longer, listening to the slow, even breathing of his friend as he drifts off. There's no space under the blanket, and his arm is falling asleep from being crushed under him, but there's a warm, gentle feeling spreading through him that lulls him to sleep.

"Thanks," he whispers, and nods off.


	5. Best Friends

Rain cascades down from the sky. Soaked to the bone, Hinata and Souda stand, dripping and catching their breath, in the foyer of Hinata's house. They had been caught in the rain unexpectedly on the way back from the corner store; cramming their bags under their shirts, they had run back as fast as they could. Outside the window, the sky is roiling with black clouds, showing no sign up letting up soon.

"Want to get changed?" Hinata asks, gesturing to their wet clothes. Souda nods; a droplet falls off the tip of his pointed nose.

Pushing his sopping hair out of his face, Souda follows Hinata up the stairs to his room, the two of them leaving a trail of water behind on the floor. He wants to stop to wipe it up; he knows that at his house, he'd get yelled at for making such a mess. But Souda also knows that Saori won't say anything to them about it. She'll just mop it up, mutter, "Boys will be boys", and wring out the towels. So unlike how his own parents would react (now down to only his dad, who usually substitutes words for his fist anyway). A flick on his forehead brings him back to reality – Hinata's waiting for him, smirking. Sparing one backwards glance at the puddles scattered over the floor, he shakes his head and goes into Hinata's room.

"Sorry about the mess," Hinata says. Pushing aside a pile of books and papers with his foot, he makes his way to his closet.

"Ya act like I've never seen this before," Souda says, laughing. "I mean, r'member when ya left that bowl of ice cream in here last summer, and -"

"Okay, you can shut up now," Hinata says. "Do you want my clothes or not?" He grins, turning around. Souda knows full well that Hinata has it in him to send him home dripping wet, or worse, naked. He shuts up.

"That's what I thought," Hinata says, and turns back to the hanging clothes. His voice is somewhat muffled. "They might be a little big, since you're shorter than me, but the waist of these should be fine."

A pair of shorts flies through the air, and Souda catches them. A second later, a striped sweater follows, landing in Souda's arms. _Good aim_, he thinks. He can tell already that he'll be swimming in the sweater; but, he tells himself, anything is better than practically swimming in his soaked clothes. He watches as Hinata grabs a pair of jeans and a white button-up for himself. Souda stands near the door, holding his borrowed clothes away from him so as not to get them wet.

_Should I just.. start changin'?_ Souda wonders.

"I'm gonna grab some towels, I'll be right back," Hinata says. He leaves the room, and Souda takes that as his cue to get undressed.

Pulling off his dripping white shirt, rivulets of water flowing down his back from his black hair, he drops it onto the floor. The carpet is growing wetter by the second, and he hopes Hinata won't care. Souda regrets not asking for a dry pair of socks; his feet are cold and drenched, the fabric scratchy. _But I ain't gonna ask for boxers_, he thinks, shivering. _That would just be..._

He's in the middle of taking off his jeans when the door flies open. Hinata stands there, no shirt, with a towel wrapped around his neck. Bent over, pants around his ankles and neon-coloured boxers a glaring beacon, Souda freezes. Within seconds, his damp skin is blazing red. Souda stares at the floor, trying not to look at his shirtless friend, trying not to cry, trying to will himself to stop existing. He can feel Hinata's eyes fixed on him. Slowly, walking stiffly, Hinata moves into the room and mutters something about forgetting socks. Souda wants to take this moment to ask for a pair himself; he wants to say something normal to ease away the awkwardness. But when he opens his mouth to speak, no words will come out.

Souda glances up. Hinata's standing in front of his dresser with his back turned, rummaging through the top drawer. The tops of his ears are bright red. Not wanting Hinata to turn around and see him in his underwear again, Souda scrambles into the borrowed clothes, not noticing how they hang off his body. He does notice how they smell like Hinata, though; his face burns at the thought.

_Why'm I bein' all gay?!_

His mind is racing when Hinata finally looks at him again. Something in his brain clicks, his mouth opens, and for all that he couldn't speak before, the words start pouring out.

"H-hey, so, I just remembered I gotta help Dad with dinner, and, and I really appreciate this, y'know, the clothes 'nd everythin', but I gotta get goin', before he, y'know, gets mad at me," Souda rambles. He laughs nervously. "And I gotta give him his change back too, so, so I'm gonna go. See ya!"

Souda runs out of Hinata's room, not giving the other boy the chance to reply. He mentally curses himself; there was nothing about that that was subtle. When he gets to the door, he doesn't stop to tie his shoes. Ignoring the still-falling rain, he sprints the short distance to his house, wet laces slapping his ankles.

He slams the door to his room, chest heaving under his borrowed sweater. Underneath the embarrassment, buried far down, is something he can no longer ignore.

"I'm not fuckin' gay for my best friend!"

* * *

Hours later, someone knocks on the front door. Souda's dad answers it, and comes back into the kitchen a minute later, carrying a plastic bag. Souda recognizes it as the one full of snacks he left at Hinata's in his panic.

"Kid from next door dropped this off for you," his dad says gruffly. Souda wonders why Hinata didn't come in, or just toss it through his bedroom window. _I prob'ly weirded him out._

He takes the bag up to his room. Inside is the chocolate and candy he had bought at the store before the rain, his can of Calpis, and the clothes he had left behind, folded now. A note flutters out when he pulls out his shirt. In Hinata's chicken scratch, it says:

_Hey, you were in a rush earlier, so you forgot this stuff. My mom put in a load of laundry, so I got her to do your clothes too. Hope you don't mind. Sorry the rain kind of ruined our plans for today._

_-Hinata_

_P.S. You know that was my change, right? :P_

Souda sits, staring at the note. The money in question clinks in his pocket – the pocket of Hinata's shorts. He had forgotten that small detail while trying to make up good excuses to leave.

His clothes now smell like Hinata's – the same laundry detergent – and he wants to change but he knows he can't get away from the smell. He doesn't know how he'll return them without it being awkward; without the memory of Hinata's bare back and red ears surfacing.

Flopping onto his bed, Souda tries to erase it from his head.

"I mean, he's my first friend and all, what am I even doing?" He whispers into his pillow. "I like girls. I've liked plenty of girls. I was just surprised today, that's all."

A light bursts into his room through the window and it tells him Hinata is standing there, a few feet away, probably dressed now. Souda inhales deeply, and it only reminds him of Hinata.

"...Shit."


	6. Fever

_**author's note:** today is my birthday ayyy here's a new chapter for u guys_

* * *

Souda wakes up the next day, utterly miserable. His head is pounding, he can't breathe through his nose, and he can't go for more than a few minutes without coughing. Sitting up in bed, he drags a hand across his bleary eyes – then stops when he sees the striped sleeve of the sweater he's wearing.

"Oh, no," Souda mumbles. _So it wasn't all in my head._

He coughs, gets up, and stumbles to the kitchen for a glass of water. On the way, he catches his reflection in the hall mirror.

_I look like hell_, Souda thinks, peering at his pale face. _That's th'last time I stay out in the rain._

Drink in hand, he goes back to his room. Sitting back down on his bed, Souda wonders how mad his dad would be if he called him at work; he's sure they don't have any aspirin or cough medicine in the house, and he's not up to going to the store himself. Just as Souda decides that being yelled at would be worth it, a familiar paper cup comes soaring through his window.

"Hinata?" Cough. "Why aren't you at school?"

"It's noon, dude. I'm on my lunch break," Hinata says. "How about you?"

"Caught a cold," Souda says. He tries not to cough into the cup again.

"I can tell. You sound awful, man. D'you need anything?"

Gratitude rushes through Souda at Hinata's words. He asks if Hinata would mind getting him some medicine, telling him not to bother if it'll make him late going back, but he knows Hinata will keep his word.

A quarter of an hour later, Hinata tosses a grocery bag through his window, followed by the cup again.

"I've gotta get back, but if you need anything else just let me know, okay?" Hinata's voice comes through, concerned.

"Thanks," Souda says. He takes one of the aspirin and sighs, reading the bottle label.

"And make sure you eat something!" But before Souda can reply, Hinata's gone.

He crawls back into bed, sleep pulling at his eyelids; the only thing he thinks before he drifts off is how lucky he is to know Hinata.

* * *

Souda wakes up a few hours later to the sound of someone moving around downstairs. He checks the clock – 3:37, far too early for his dad to be home from work. As quietly as he can, he opens his door and makes his way down the stairs, preparing himself to see a burglar. He has no idea what he'll do if that's the case; _sneeze on 'em, I guess_, he thinks.

When he peeks his head around the doorway of the kitchen, though, it's not a burglar. To his great surprise, he sees Auntie from the sweet shop washing dishes at the sink.

"Oh, Kazu, dear, I was just wondering if I should wake you up," she says, wiping her hands on a towel.

"..What are you doing here?" Souda asks. He can't figure out how she could've gotten in, much less how she knew he was still home.

"Haji-chan stopped by and told me you were sick," Auntie says. "He asked me if I could pop in to see if you were doing alright. He was so worried, I thought you must be dying!"

She bustles around the kitchen and gestures Souda to one of the chairs at the table, placing a bowl of hot soup and some toast in front of him. He mumbles his thanks and takes a sip; it scalds his mouth, but he swallows anyway. He can remember something similar happening when he was a kid, when his mum still lived at home. He and his mum had both had the flu, and Auntie had come over then, too, and made them the same soup. Souda feels a surge of affection for the old lady; she had always been there for him.

Auntie sits across from him, watching him slowly eat. She fixes him with a beady eye.

"Haji-chan said he was sure you hadn't eaten anything today, Kazu," she says. "Now I see why he thought so, your clothes are just hanging off of you."

Souda chokes, inhaling hot soup; coughing and trying to get his breath back, he can feel his face going red. He glances down at the striped sweater and shorts he had been wearing since the day before.

"Th-these are Hinata's clothes, that's why," Souda splutters. "I borrowed 'em from him. He's taller than me, so.." His voice trails off. To cover up his embarrassment, he goes back to his soup, eating hastily. Souda hopes she doesn't notice that he's blushing.

When he finishes, she brings the dishes over to the sink. They chat quietly while she washes.

"Well, Kazu, I should be heading back to the shop," she says, glancing at the clock and drying her hands again. "Take care of yourself, dear."

"I will, Auntie," Souda says. "Thank you for everything."

She pats him on the shoulder. There's a motherly look in her eyes as she looks at him, and he feels a hollow ache in his stomach despite being full, thinking of his own mum and how she should've been the one taking care of him today.

Souda climbs the stairs after Auntie leaves. Not really tired but not knowing how else to spend his time, he sits on his bed, trying to think of something he can do. He takes another aspirin and a shot of cough medicine and picks up an engine manual laying on the floor. He's a few pages in when he hears the cup come through for the third time that day. Souda scrambles over to the window.

"Hey," he says. "Thanks for sendin' Auntie over."

"Well, y'know, least I could do," Hinata says. "Feeling any better?"

"Yeah, a bit," Souda says, leaning against the wall.

"That's good, I'm glad."

"So how was school? Did I miss anythin' important?" Souda asks.

"Actually, yeah. There's a new transfer student, and I guess she's a princess or something. The whole school was talking about her."

"Whoa, really?" Souda exclaims. They talk for a while about her, wondering whose class she'll be in, joking around about if she's hot or not. By the end of their conversation, Souda's feeling almost back to normal.

_It musta just been the fever makin' me think that way last night_, he tells himself. But when he gets up to toss the cup back over to Hinata before going to bed, Hinata grins and waves at him, and Souda's heart pounds. Waving back weakly, Souda puts a hand to his forehead to check his temperature.

_It's gotta be the fever_. But his heart keeps fluttering long after he lays down.


End file.
